Actions Speak Volumes
by WritelkeUmeanit
Summary: When Henry gets sick, Snow and Emma work together to take care of him... but their conversation goes beyond warm temperatures and cold medicine. (Post-Curse-Broken. Emma/Snow, Snow/Henry.)


**Actions Speak Volumes**

Snow awoke to a soft knock on the door. Being a light sleeper, she was jostled by the weakest of sounds. With a cloudy mind and hazy vision, Snow pushed on her elbows to sit up. She looked to her side to find David still passed out. Her brows furrowed in confusion. What woke her up?

"It's me."

Snow looked to the voice to find Emma standing in the doorway. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" she asked in a near panic.

"I'm fine, but… how do you fix a fever?"

"What?"

Emma sighed. "Henry has a fever. At least I think he does. His forehead is warm."

"Is he awake?"

Emma nodded.

Snow swung her legs from the bed.

"Oh, no, you don' t have to get up. Just point me in the right direction."

Snow smiled while wrapping an afghan around her shoulders. "Follow me," she sang quietly.

Emma followed her mother to the bathroom where Snow pulled open the medicine cabinet.

"When Henry started spending time here, I picked up some things. Just incase."

Emma's eyes widened at the row of various medicine bottles.

"Is he complaining that anything hurts?"

"His head. He sounds stuffy too."

"We'll take him to see Dr. Whale tomorrow, but this should help for now," Snow said while grabbing a bottle of sinus/cold medicine. "It's a fever reducer too. Two tablespoons every six hours."

Emma nodded.

"Here's a box of tissues and vapor rub. He should put some on his chest. It'll help him breathe better."

Again, Emma nodded.

Snow couldn't help but smile at the look of bewilderment Emma wore.

"I can go up with you," she offered.

Emma blinked away her daze. "No, no, it's okay. I can do it. I just… you know, I've never done this before."

"That makes two of us," Snow said softly. "First time for everything."

Emma nodded.

"If you need me, don' t hesitate to wake me, okay?"

"Okay," Emma agreed. "Thanks."

XOX

When Emma woke up, she smiled at her son's sleeping form. Then her vision became clear. Beads of sweat lined his forehead and his cheeks were red. Emma put her hand to his forehead. He was burning up. Emma hurried from the loft to find Snow in the kitchen making coffee.

"That stuff doesn't work."

"What?"

"Henry. His forehead is hot as hell."

Snow frowned. She rushed around the counter and led the way upstairs. When she reached the doorway, she stopped short and looked to Emma who almost ran into her.

"I don't want to wake him," she whispered.

"What do we do?" Emma asked quietly.

"I can't believe I never bought a thermometer."

"I'll run to the store," Emma volunteered. "Can you look after him?"

"Of course. You never have to ask.

Emma gave a smile and thanks before leaving the room.

Carefully, Snow walked further inside. When she stumbled upon a creaky board in the floor, she froze. She looked to Henry with a wince. When he didn't wake, she blew a sigh of relief.

Of course, just when she made it to the bed, Henry's eyes fluttered open.

"I'm sorry," Snow apologized.

With eyes half closed and his brows knit in confusion Henry asked, "where's mom?"

"She'll be right back. She went to the store."

"It's really hot in here," he complained.

"Yeah, I wanted to take a blanket off you. I think your mom over compensated a bit," Snow said while taking one of four blankets from his body. "Poor thing," she sighed as he lowered his head to the pillow.

"Do I need to go to the doctor?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Henry frowned further.

"I'll make you some tea, okay? And how 'bout some warm soup for breakfast?"

Henry nodded.

Snow gave a reassuring smile while getting to her feet. "I'll be right back."

XOX

Henry dozed some while waiting. When Snow came with a tray, his eyes were barely open, his lazy stare on the T.V.

"Your mom told me chicken noodle is your favorite. And you like milk and honey in your tea."

"Thanks," Henry said, his eyes brightening a little as he sat up.

Snow smiled while setting the tray down over his lap. She then eased her body to the bed, careful not to make him spill.

After taking a spoonful of soup, Henry said, "you would have been a great mom. I mean you are now, but to Emma when she was my age."

"I don't know," Snow murmured doubtfully.

"I saw you watching her sleep the other day."

"You caught me?"

With a smile, Henry nodded.

"I'm not sure why," Snow admitted sheepishly.

"You love her," Henry reasoned simply.

"With all my heart."

"You should tell her."

"I wish it were that easy."

"Why can't it be?"

"We're not in a typical mother-daughter relationship, Henry."

"But she loves you. She loved you even when you were just Mary Margaret," Henry pressed. "You loved her too; I could tell."

With a smile, Snow said, "You're too smart for your own good."

The boy smiled further before drinking a big gulp of tea.

"Is it okay for me to be talking to you about this?"

"Why not?" Henry asked with a shrug.

Snow gave a small smile and said, "the truth is, I'm not sure how to act around Emma. She's almost twenty-nine. She was on her own for so long… she's not a baby or a child… she doesn't need me."

Before Henry could answer, a voice pulled their attention. Snow and Henry looked up to find Emma in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" Snow asked.

"Just a minute… or two… maybe three, tops."

Snow jumped from the bed. "You want pancakes? I'm making pancakes," she said before hurrying around the room and past Emma.

With a frown, Emma looked to Henry. "I got a thermometer. Need to take your temperature," she mumbled.

Henry grabbed the device from her hand. "Aren't you going to go down there?"

Emma nodded. Henry smiled and put the thermometer underneath his tongue.

XOX

Emma stepped down from the last stair and looked to her mother who was running around the kitchen gathering ingredients.

"If it's, uh, any consolation, I don't know how to go about this either."

"How much did you hear?"

"Not much."

Snow met her eyes.

"Okay," Emma gave in. "I guess I should be sleeping with one eye open."

Snow groaned.

"I get it," Emma said with a smile. "I do the same with Henry."

"He's still a child. You can get away with it."

"It's really okay," Emma pressed while easing herself to a barstool.

Snow didn't answer as she bent for a large bowl then poured a generous amount of pancake batter in it.

"So, you zoned out and watched me sleep a little… it's no big deal."

"You're totally creeped out by it."

"No, no!"

"Emma."

"Really, I'm not… it's kind of sweet… in a slightly creepy way."

Snow frowned. "I knew you were creeped out!"

A grin sprouted on Emma's face, but Snow's expression faltered further.

"You were supposed to be a little princess," she murmured sadly. "You were supposed to grow up in our castle. Learn how to ride horses and use a bow and arrow. Attend balls with all your friends. Play in the forest…. Instead you grew up here, without me, without your father, without anyone… you struggled everyday, and just thinking about it makes me…" Snow stopped. She chocked on the words. Tears brewed in her eyes.

Emma stood from her chair and walked around the counter. She put her arms around her mother.

"I'm not creeped out," Emma whispered.

With her chin on her daughter's shoulder, Snow said, "so you wouldn't mind if I-"

"Not at all."

_The End_

This started out as Snow/Henry story, but it certainly turned into an Emma/Snow fic. I'm sorry! These things take on lives on their own!

Anyway, I'd like to thank **Meredith Brennan **for the idea. I'd also like to apologize and say I will be writing more Snow/Henry bonding stories! Stay tuned!

Thoughts before you go? Please leave em!


End file.
